Dolores Jean Grey Reynolds: 1950-2013

Revived Army & Lou's, ran South Side institution for 17 years

Dolores Jean Grey Reynolds ran Army & Lou's, a soul food restaurant that was a South Side landmark, for 17 years. The restaurant closed in 2011.

Dolores Jean Grey Reynolds worked to make her customers feel at home during the 17 years she owned and ran the venerable South Side restaurant Army & Lou's.

A successful business executive before buying Army & Lou's, Ms. Reynolds had no culinary training. However, she brought high standards and a hands-on philosophy to the South Side institution, working long hours and building strong relationships with customers and her staff.

"It was the classic personal touch of a dedicated restaurateur," said Chicago attorney Joseph Morris, who represented Ms. Reynolds. "Most evenings, she was personally there at the restaurant as the director of its operations, overseeing the work of the kitchen and the front of the house as well. She had good judgment in her choice of cooks and the front-house staff."

Ms. Reynolds, 62, died of esophageal cancer on Wednesday, April 24, at Harper University Hospital in Detroit, said her sister Faye Grey. She was a longtime resident of Chicago's Pill Hill neighborhood.

Ms. Reynolds was a champion of the local arts scene, hiring local musicians to perform at Army & Lou's and placing the framed work of area painters and printmakers on the wall, along with information on how to buy the work.

"It was a splendid amenity," Morris said. "She introduced you to a lot of talent that you might not otherwise have encountered."

Born in Blytheville, Ark., the former Dolores Grey moved as a young child to Chicago. She graduated from Calumet High School on the South Side and then attended Roosevelt University, where she received a master's degree in psychology.

Ms. Reynolds was a manager for Jewel Food Corp. before joining Preferred Meal Systems, a provider of school meals. From there she started her own food services business, Excel Services.

"Dolores was a pioneer when it came to black female executives. She was able to step out on her own, raise money and begin to build a very substantial company," said Cleveland businessman Brian Hall, who was a client when Ms. Reynolds was at Preferred Meal Systems and later served on the board of Excel Services.

In 1993, Ms. Reynolds and some partners who later left the business bought Army & Lou's, which had opened in 1945 and was on East 75th Street. The business had closed in 1992, and Ms. Reynolds revived the restaurant, which long had served a noted clientele. The late Mayor Harold Washington had been a particular fan of the restaurant, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Smokey Robinson and many political figures had been patrons.

Ms. Reynolds kept the focus on staples of America's South: ribs, fried chicken, smoked turkey and greens, pork chops and chitterlings. She also gave the place a face-lift, adding new carpeting, fresh paint and a bright and contemporary look. In a 1993 review, Tribune dining critic Phil Vettel noted that "this is a nice place to linger over a meal" and that "the staffers couldn't be more pleasant."

"She ran the place like we were family," said retired Army & Lou's chef John Watts. "Everybody that worked for her was like a member of her family."

The restaurant's atmosphere appealed to people from all walks of life, from those in the neighborhood to a future president. In 2008 and 2009, President-elect Barack Obama used the restaurant for presidential transition meetings.

"Some people go through life as fence-builders, and Dolores was a bridge-builder," Morris said. "She connected people in all kinds of ways, and certainly those relationships transcended race and religion. You could be of any race but if you enjoyed conversation, meeting interesting people and you had a deep love of fried chicken, Army & Lou's was a nice place to go on a Sunday afternoon."

The restaurant closed in 2011, and Ms. Reynolds had been working as the chief financial officer of a health care firm in West Bloomfield, Mich.

A marriage to Eugene Reynolds ended in divorce.

Ms. Reynolds also is survived by two other sisters, Jackie Vaughn and Janet Grey-Garrett; and her mother, Mary Grey.